There’s a student I work with every day. Each time we meet, we start our time with butterfly moments. This is our way of connecting, bringing our energy into the present moment and relaxing into our interaction. It is a way to practice mindfulness and getting into the heart space, bringing intentions for the day into focus and awareness. I begin each time by asking, “What color is your butterfly today?” Let’s close our eyes and see. That is when we get into butterfly pose, (http://www.yogitimes.com/article/sitting-butterfly-purna-titali-asana-pose ),and begin to flutter our wing legs. We close our eyes, flutter our legs like wings and look closely at our butterfly of the day. “Mine is blue with purple spots today,” I say. He replies, “Mine is going to be orange and black.” Then I take him on a quick journey to a flower for the following quick relaxation script:
Oh, I see your butterfly landing on a flower. It is so beautiful! Can you see what color the petals are? (Pause) What color are the petals? You can see that as your butterfly lands on them, the petals begin to open. As they open you can see right into the heart of the flower. It is opening to show its pretty colors to the world. Inside there is a very special message just for you about your day. If you listen closely you will hear a word that you need to know for your day today. Can you hear it? Wonderful. (Pause) What is the special word for your day today? Watch as your butterfly lands on your flower. You can open your eyes when you are ready.
Afterwards you can have a discussion about the activity, asking your child what the word means to him and what it means about his day. Remind him that his butterfly is ready to carry his word to him whenever he wants, he just has to pause for a moment and listen for it. As you go about your day, you might look for ways to incorporate the word or its meaning. At the end of the day, it is often helpful to ask how the word impacted his day, why it was important, if it was important. Keeping a butterfly journal, like a net to capture the daily butterfly moments, can be a fun way to watch how they change or what the experience is like over time.
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